Sunday, September 30, 2012

Halloween Cupcakes

We had some fun making Halloween themed cupcakes!

The kids were supposed to decorate them but they just wanted to play so April and I did that part. Then when we were finished the kiddos wanted to eat some!

 A mummy...

Frankenstein...

Pumpkin...

Bats...

All of them together. The pink were supposed to be more red...

April's...

I decided to color in the bats body's. 

T enjoying one a few days later. Of course D doesn't eat them messily anymore so I didn't capture his messy face. :(


Splash Park!

Our playdate with April and her daughters, Elizabeth and Emily. Decided to go to the Splash Park again!


















Eating some grapes...

Playing Barbies...


I just LOVE all these photos! So glad we could make some friends while living here in Cali.


Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Vinegar

Unclog and deodorize drains
To clear clogs in sinks and tub drains, use a funnel to pour in 1/2 c baking soda followed by 1 c vinegar.  When the foaming subsides, flush with hot tap water. Wait 5 min, and then flush again with cold water. This also washes away odor-causing bacteria.

To speed up a slow drain, pour in 1/2 c salt followed by 2 cups boiling vinegar, then flush with hot and cold tap water.

Clean windshield wiper blades
Dampen a cloth or a rag with full strength white vinegar and run it down the full length of each blade once or twice.

Keep windows frost free
Wipe or spray the outsides of your windows with 3 parts white vinegar to 1 part water. Each coating may last of to several weeks.

Disinfect cutting boards
Wipe wood cutting boards or butcher block countertop with full strength white vinegar after each use. When the board needs deodorizing also, spread baking soda over it and spray on undiluted vinegar. Let it foam and bubble for 5-10 min, then rinse with a cloth dipped in clean cold water.

Deodorize your garbage disposal
Mix equal parts water and vinegar in a bowl, pour the solution in an ice cube tray and freeze it. Then drop a couple vinegar cubes down the disposal every week or so, followed by a cold water rinse.

Wash out your dishwasher
Pour 1 c undiluted vinegar into the bottom of the unit or in a bowl on the top rack. Then run the machine through a full cycle without any dishes or detergent. Do this once a month, especially if you have hard water. Note: Check the manual first for mention of vinegar. If not, call the manufacturer first.

Wash store bought produce
Rinse in 4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar dissolved in 1 gallon cold water. Removes hidden dirt, pesticides, and even insects.

Ease sunburn and itching
Dab the area with a cotton ball or soft cloth saturated in white vinegar or cider vinegar. This is more effective if it's applied prior to stinging. Instantly stops the itch of mosquito and other insect bites, as well as poison ivy or poison oak.

Make nail polish last longer
Dampen nails with some vinegar on a cotton ball and then let it dry before applying nail polish.

Treat a jellyfish or bee sting
Pour undiluted vinegar on the sting and scrape out the stinger with a plastic credit card. Warning: Using vinegar on stings inflicted by the jellyfish's cousin, the Portuguese man-of-war is now discouraged. Vinegar may actually increase the amount of toxin released under the skin. Also if you have difficulty breathing or the sting area becomes inflamed or swollen, get medical attention quickly; you may be having an allergic reaction.

Wash mildew from shower curtains
Put the shower curtain along with a couple soiled towels in your washing machine. Add 1/2 c laundry detergent and 1/2 c baking soda to the load, and wash it in warm water on your machine's regular cycle. Add 1 c white vinegar to the first rinse. Before it goes into spin cycle, remove the curtain and hang to dry.

Disinfect toilet bowls
Pour 2 c white vinegar into the bowl and let the solutions soak overnight before flushing. Doing this weekly will also help with the water rings that appear above water level.



Source: Extraordinary Uses For Ordinary Things

Busy Bag: Lid Drop

Items Needed:
Baby wipe box
Milk lids

Just drop the lids though the slit. T played with this for a good 30 min.



D was making cakes and I was the customer. ;]


*Part of our Busy Box




Source: The Toddler's Busy Book



Youngster Lunch Ideas

Sick of the same old boring lunches? I AM! My boys, they could care less! Instead of making the same things everyday for a month straight I decided to make lunch more fun! I made little tickets the boys could pick from and just stuck the pocket to our fridge.


Some lunch ideas that we have are:

My boys eat the crap out of these!
Salads
mac n' cheese
eggs
yogurt and cheese sticks
corn dogs
chicken, beans, rice

sandwiches:
grilled cheese
pb&j
egg
tuna
turkey or ham

burritos
chicken nuggets
quesadillas
 hot dogs

Out of this list I pick three:
They eat the crap out of this list also.
bananas
apple
grapes
carrots
green beans
corn
gold fish
animal crackers
graham crackers
cheerios 
apple sauce
toast 
english muffin
pancakes


Robot Rally: Part Two

Finally got to finish part two of our first Kiwi Crate. Here's part one called My bot buddy.

This part is called My a-mazing robot. It comes with a few items to make a robot out of metal and a magnetic wand. The point is to try to move your robot through the mazes provided. You can even draw one of your own.
Here's he coloring his robots arms...



Trying to move his robot...

The wand is under the cardboard.

Trying out the star one...


Can you see his robot's face??

So happy with his Kiwi Crate!


His cute little sticker that came with it.

What T does while we're at the table.

Chairs can entertain him for an hour! I wish I could jump inside his mind!

I had to add this pic... He loves to climb on my belly and a bounce him...